Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!cs.utexas.edu!oakhill!hunter
From: hunter@oakhill.sps.mot.com (Hunter Scales)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hardware
Subject: Re: Review of Mobius 1-page w/030 & math coprocessor.
Message-ID: <1991Mar28.034634.6326@oakhill.sps.mot.com>
Date: 28 Mar 91 03:46:34 GMT
References: <g7sFZ2w162w@alchemy.tcnet.ithaca.ny.us> <STIBER.91Mar26172709@humpback.cs.ucla.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: Motorola Inc., Austin, Texas
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stiber@cs.ucla.edu (Michael D Stiber) writes:

>Yes, I had heard about the Mobius display, but I noticed one thing
>that seems very strange:  instead of using a 68030, they are using a
>68EC030, which is supposed to be a 68030 without a MMU.  The MMU is a
>$250 option.  Why is this?  My guess is marketing --- I can't imagine
>that the different chip saves alot of hardware money.  Is there some
>other reason?  With the MMU and 68882, the Mobius may not be as good a
>deal as just buying a SE->SE/30 upgrade from Apple, and a $500 FPD
>(considering such things as warrantees, multiple boards increasing the
>chances of troubles, etc).  Comments, anyone?
>--
>			    Michael Stiber
>			  stiber@cs.ucla.edu
>		   ...{ucbvax,ihpn4}!ucla-cs!stiber
>     UCLA Computer Science Dept., 3436 Boelter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90024

	I just got a Mobius 2-page display with 25 Mhz '030 accelerator
	and I am very happy with it.  The display is,to my eyes, as
	crisp as the Apple 2-page and that is high praise.  The
	acceleration is marvelous --- I went from SE speed (8 Mhz 68k)
	to over IIci speed in one hour.  I think the 030 upgrade over
	the EC030 is worth the $250 because they include the Connectix
	Virtual INIT -- I now have 4 Mbytes of real and 16 Mbytes of
	Physical memory.  I didn't spring for the 882 upgrade because
	you can get 25 MHz 882's for much less and the installation is
	trivial.

	The only complaint that I have is that the accelerator messes
	up the sound generation on my SE.  When I play a sound, it
	sounds very scratchy, as if a low frequency source of EMI was
	near the amp/speaker (it isn't that, though).  I called Mobius
	and they said that it only occurs on *some* SE's and has
	something to do with the Sound Manager.  I'm not sure I believe
	this, the guy I talked with was not a tech.  It seemed to
	me that they would want the ROM numbers or serial number or
	something from me to add to their data-base on this problem but
	they didn't.. just said that it was Apple's fault and they were
	notoriusly slow about fixing such things.  Anybody know
	anything about this?  I would like to believe that my formerly
	clean sound will return some day soon....

-- 
Motorola Semiconductor Inc.             Hunter Scales
Austin, Texas                           hunter@cerberus.sps.mot.com
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